Emergency Measures in Romanian Health-Care System

Units closed down at Burn Hospital in Bucharest, after 2 patients die

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Mihai Pelin, 15.07.2016, 13:30

The Burn Hospital in Bucharest is known all across the country for its capacity to treat patients that have sustained severe injuries. However, in the past years, the image of this hospital has been marred by a string of scandals: infections causing the death of some patients, the issue of the diluted disinfectants delivered by Hexi Pharma, serious accusations of corruption involving physicians and hospital directors.

The most recent of these scandals broke out after the media carried shocking photos of a patient in intensive care having larvae-infested wounds, and who eventually died. Another case was that of a woman who got the wrong blood transfusion treatment and died as a result. Following the two deaths, the Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Department as well as the Transfusion Unit have been shut down, and now solutions are being looked for, in order to relocate these facilities. Moreover, the case has triggered an investigation by the Ombudsman and manslaughter charges have been filed.

The Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu has termed as ‘inadmissible the fact that nobody has learnt anything from the tragedy that occurred at the Colectiv night club in Bucharest in October 2015, when 64 people died and more than 100 were injured. He has also said that the manager of the Burn Hospital has never applied for any investments or staff upsizing.

Vlad Voiculescu: “The only reasonable measure that I have considered several times in the past few months is to close down the hospital and transfer the activity to another unit. Ive had a meeting with the managers of the hospitals that can take over patients with severe burn injuries, but the conclusion was that we cannot possibly shut down the entire hospital. We are considering intermediary measures, such as inspections, controls, fines and, of course, support for the hospital in the form of investments. A hospital that has no climate control system, where the management has filed no application to the Health Ministry to get money for purchasing such a system, a hospital with flies everywhere, is a major problem.

Currently there are 47 patients in the Burn Hospital, two of whom cannot be transferred, and authorities say that, if an accident resulting in serious casualties were to occur right now, patients would have to be transferred abroad, because they could not be treated in Romania.

Many of the people injured in the fire at the Colectiv nightclub were admitted to the Burn Hospital. Even if some of the survivors were transferred abroad, others died because of infections acquired in the Romanian hospitals. And, quite ironically, early this year, the management team of the Burn Hospital in Bucharest got an excellence award for professionalism, abnegation, commitment and heroism.